Safe Quality Food Institute Certifies PECO Pallet Depot

First PECO Depot Achieves SQFI Certification, Second Depot Certification Anticipated for Early 2015.

With health and food safety concerns increasingly rising to the forefront of social conscience, the HACCP certification of pallet pooling operations seems like a prudent step forward. Case in point, pallet rental provider PECO Pallet’s depot in Hazleton, Pennsylvania has been certified by the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) for Level 2 HACCP-Based Food Safety Plans. PECO is the first pallet company in North America to achieve SQF certification, which is part of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and is focused on food safety prevention controls for packaging and shipping materials.

“We are very proud to be the first pallet provider to be certified by SQFI,” stated David Lee, President and Chief Executive Officer of PECO Pallet. “We believe this is a testament to PECO Pallet’s long-standing commitment to delivering the highest quality pallets in the industry. We take food safety very seriously, and our customers know they can count on PECO to deliver high-quality pallets that protect the safety of their employees, products, and consumers.”

To qualify for the SQF Certification for Level 2 Food Safety, PECO Pallet had to demonstrate that it meets certified requirements to identify hazards and minimize food safety risks in its environment and products. PECO Pallet maintains an HACCP-based food safety and quality system and was evaluated in 17 different supporting programs and procedures, ranging from sanitation and chemical controls to personnel training and transportation programs. The entire facility in Hazleton was audited, and PECO Pallet’s implementation of HACCP quality systems and controls was found to meet or exceed U.S. FDA food safety requirements.

PECO Pallet’s Hazleton depot opened in 2013. In addition to sorting, repairing, storing, and reissuing pallets, this depot also provides a place to develop new processes to deliver higher levels of pallet quality, service, and safety across all facilities in PECO’s North American network. The company expects to achieve SQF certification at a second depot in Chicago, IL by early 2015. For more information about PECO Pallet, visit www.pecopallet.com.